Rising Stars: How PFC Is Giving New Prop Firms a Voice
Introducing Rising Stars: How PFC Is Giving New Prop Firms a Voice
The prop firm industry in 2026 looks very different to the prop firm industry in 2022. The big names that once dominated the conversation are still there, but many of them are no longer the most innovative, the most trader-friendly, or the most exciting. The energy has shifted.
Some of the most interesting work in proprietary trading right now is being done by firms most traders have never heard of. Firms experimenting with new drawdown models, new payout structures, new asset combinations, and new ways of treating traders. Firms that don't have the marketing budget of the established giants — but often have a much sharper sense of what traders actually need.
That's why we built Rising Stars — a dedicated section of PropFirmsCompared specifically for new and emerging prop firms. A platform for the firms reshaping the next chapter of the industry, and a way for traders to find them before they break into the mainstream.
In this post we'll explain what Rising Stars is, why we built it, who's in the spotlight right now, and how to think about newer prop firms when you're deciding where to put your money.
TL;DR – What Rising Stars Is and Why It Matters
- Rising Stars is a dedicated section on PFC for new and emerging prop firms — listed separately from our main directory of longer-serving firms.
- These firms are not affiliate or commission partners of PropFirmsCompared. We earn nothing from sending traders to them. That's deliberate — it gives us complete editorial independence.
- Each Rising Stars firm gets a dedicated review page, so you can read our take on their proposition, rules, and reputation before deciding to trade.
- They are not in the main comparison tool at product level — we don't list their challenges by account size, step count, or asset class — because their offerings are still evolving.
- The cohort is growing constantly, with new firms added regularly.
What Is Rising Stars?
Rising Stars is the home on PropFirmsCompared for new and emerging prop firms that haven't yet built the brand recognition of the industry's established names. The firms in this section are:
- Newly launched or relatively young — typically founded in the last 12–24 months
- Genuinely innovating rather than copying existing playbooks
- Growing and adapting in a market that is still finding its shape
- Disrupting expectations with new rules, new platforms, new asset coverage, or new trader-progression structures
- Vying for trader attention in an industry where the loudest voice is too often the largest marketing spend, not the best product
Rising Stars firms sit on their own dedicated page at propfirmscompared.com/rising-stars, separate from our main directory of longer-serving firms. Each firm in the cohort has its own review page where we cover what they offer, what makes them different, and what traders should be aware of.
We've kept Rising Stars deliberately distinct from our main comparison tool. Our main directory is built around granular product-level data — challenge sizes, step counts, asset classes, drawdown rules, profit splits — pulled from established firms with stable, well-documented offerings. Rising Stars firms are still evolving their products, often refining their rules and pricing as they grow. Listing them in the main tool at product level would risk giving traders outdated or incomplete information, and would put a one-month-old firm side by side with a six-year-old firm in a way that doesn't really serve anyone.
Instead, we treat Rising Stars as a curated discovery space — a place to browse the next generation of firms, read the reviews, and explore further on the firms' own sites.
Why We Built It
Two things prompted us to launch Rising Stars.
The first is what we've watched happen to the industry over the last 18 months. Major firms have collapsed (the original MyForexFunds story we've covered here), been acquired (FTMO buying OANDA Prop Trader), or quietly shut their doors. The "safety in size" assumption that used to guide trader decisions has been tested — and often found wanting. Meanwhile, smaller and newer firms have stepped up with stronger payout records, better technology, and rules that actually treat traders like long-term partners rather than monthly subscription revenue.
The second is a problem in how the industry talks about itself. Most prop firm comparison sites are commission-driven — they prioritise the firms that pay the highest affiliate commissions, which structurally biases coverage toward the largest established players. That's not a criticism of those sites; it's just how affiliate marketing works. But it leaves a real gap: who covers the new firms that are building something different but don't yet have an affiliate programme or a budget to burn?
That's the gap Rising Stars fills.
No Commissions. No Affiliate Relationship. Real Editorial Independence.
This is the most important thing to understand about Rising Stars: the firms in this section are not commission-affiliated with PropFirmsCompared. We don't earn affiliate commissions when you visit them, and we don't have referral arrangements that bias what we say.
That's a deliberate choice, and it benefits both sides.
For traders, it means real editorial independence. When we describe a Rising Stars firm's rules, pricing, or reputation, we're not doing it because that firm pays us a commission. We're doing it because the information is accurate. If a firm in the cohort turns out to be unreliable, we have no commercial interest in protecting them — and we'll say so on the review page.
For us, it means professional distance. Rising Stars firms are new. Some of them will turn into the next generation of industry leaders. Some of them, statistically, will not. By keeping the relationship strictly editorial rather than commission-based, PFC retains the freedom to update, downgrade, or remove firms based on how they actually perform.
For the firms themselves, it means something rare in this industry: a platform with no commission strings attached. A way to get in front of serious traders, be reviewed honestly, and be judged on the merits of what they're actually building.
Why You Should Care About New Prop Firms
There's a temptation, especially after the volatility of the last two years, to stick with the biggest names and assume size equals safety. That instinct is understandable — but it's also incomplete.
Here's the case for paying attention to newer firms.
Innovation almost always starts at the edges. The most interesting structural changes in the prop firm space — balance-based drawdown, on-demand payouts, instant funding without consistency penalties, hybrid futures-and-CFD models, transparent simulator-to-live progressions — have generally come from smaller firms first. The big names adopt them later, once they've been proven.
New firms compete on product, not brand. A firm that launched in 2025 doesn't have the recognition advantage that FTMO has. To get your attention, they have to offer something genuinely better — cheaper challenges, more flexible rules, faster payouts, smarter platforms, or trader treatment that established firms don't bother with. For traders willing to do the homework, that's an opportunity.
Track records are easier to read at smaller scale. Newer firms have smaller trader bases, which means their public payout histories, Trustpilot patterns, and Discord communities are easier to evaluate. You can often get a clearer picture of a 12-month-old firm than you can of a six-year-old giant where the signal is buried in tens of thousands of reviews.
The risk-reward shifts. Yes, newer firms carry more uncertainty. But they often pair that with significantly better trading conditions. The smart move isn't to avoid them — it's to size your exposure appropriately. Run a small evaluation with a Rising Stars firm alongside your main account at an established firm, and let the firm prove itself with your real-world experience.
For more on how to evaluate any prop firm before committing capital, see our guide on why most traders fail prop firm challenges and how to choose between prop firm rule structures.
A Snapshot of the Rising Stars Cohort
Below is a snapshot of firms currently in the Rising Stars cohort. They span different specialisms, regions, and points on the prop firm spectrum — and the variety is the point. There is no single template for a "rising" prop firm in 2026.
We've grouped them broadly by what they're best known for, but many cross categories. Each firm has its own dedicated review page on PFC, and the full Rising Stars line-up is at propfirmscompared.com/rising-stars.
Futures & US-Market Focused
Built primarily for futures traders and the US trader audience, often on institutional-grade infrastructure.
Forex & CFD Focused
Forex and CFD-led offerings, often aimed at international trader audiences.
Trader-Development & Long-Term Progression
Positioned around long-term trader growth and structured progression rather than transactional challenge sales.
Innovation & Tech-Forward
Newer entrants leaning into modern platforms, streamlined onboarding, and differentiated rule structures.
Accessible-Entry & Generalist Funding
Firms positioned around broader accessibility and clear, approachable funding models.
And This List Isn't the Limit
Rising Stars is not a closed cohort. The firms above are a snapshot of the current line-up, and the page is updated regularly as new firms launch and emerge. We're actively reviewing prop firms across the industry that fit the criteria, and the cohort six months from now will look different.
If you're a trader, that means: don't treat Rising Stars as a fixed shortlist. It's an evolving snapshot of the next generation of firms. Check back regularly — the next firm to break through into the industry mainstream is statistically very likely to come through this kind of channel first.
How to Approach Rising Stars Firms as a Trader
Here's the practical advice for getting the most out of the Rising Stars section on PFC.
Treat them with the same scrutiny as any other firm — but with adjusted expectations. A Rising Stars firm doesn't have a six-year payout history, and you shouldn't pretend it does. But it also doesn't have six years of legacy decisions, outdated platforms, or accumulated trader complaints. Look at what you can actually verify — public payout proofs, Trustpilot trends over the last 6–12 months, Discord community health, and the clarity of their published rules. Our review page on each firm is designed to help with exactly this kind of evaluation.
Start small. A Rising Stars firm is a great place to run a $10K or $25K evaluation as a test, not an immediate place to commit to a $200K challenge. If the firm performs — fast payouts, clear communication, rules that match what's advertised — scale up.
Diversify across firms. This is good advice for any prop trader regardless of Rising Stars. Running accounts at a mix of established and newer firms means a single firm's collapse or restructure doesn't take you out of the game. We've covered this thinking in our breakdowns of recent industry shifts and it remains the smartest approach in 2026.
Read the fine print. New firms are often where the interesting innovations live — but they're also where rules are most likely to change as the firm refines its product. Always check the current published rules on the firm's own site before purchasing, not the rules you remember reading three months ago.
A Quiet Note for Prop Firms Building Something New
If you're building a prop firm and you've read this far, you probably understand what we're trying to do with Rising Stars.
We're not running an affiliate scheme, we're not pitching for media buys, and we're not asking for a commission cut. We're just running a section where the merit of what you're building is the only currency that matters. If that fits where you are, drop us a line via the PropFirmsCompared contact page and we'll take a look.
Where to Find Rising Stars on PFC
Rising Stars firms live on their own dedicated page at propfirmscompared.com/rising-stars, separate from the main directory of longer-serving firms. Each firm has a dedicated review page covering what they offer, what differentiates them, and what traders should know.
For comparison-tool functionality across our main directory of established firms — filtering by account size, step count, asset class, and platform — head to propfirmscompared.com/all-firms.
FAQs – Rising Stars
What is the PFC Rising Stars initiative?
Rising Stars is a dedicated section on PropFirmsCompared for new and emerging prop firms. It gives traders a curated discovery space for the next generation of firms, with each firm getting its own review page on PFC.
Are Rising Stars firms PFC affiliate or commission partners?
No. Rising Stars firms are not commission-affiliated with PropFirmsCompared. We don't earn affiliate commissions from them. This gives us full editorial independence.
Why aren't Rising Stars firms in the main comparison tool?
Our main comparison tool relies on detailed product-level data — challenge sizes, step counts, asset classes, profit splits — pulled from firms with stable, well-documented offerings. Rising Stars firms are still evolving their products, so we list them on a dedicated page with individual review pages instead.
Are Rising Stars firms safe to trade with?
Like any prop firm, Rising Stars firms vary in track record, transparency, and reliability. They are newer and therefore carry more uncertainty than firms with multi-year histories — but many also have stronger trading conditions and faster payouts than the established giants. Our advice: read the dedicated review page, start small, verify payouts, and diversify across firms.
How do you decide which firms to list as Rising Stars?
We look for firms that are genuinely new or emerging (typically founded in the last 12–24 months), that publish clear rules, that operate transparently, and that are doing something differentiated rather than cloning an existing playbook. We also continue to monitor every firm we list and can remove any that no longer meet these standards.
Where can I see the full Rising Stars cohort?
The complete and up-to-date list lives at propfirmscompared.com/rising-stars. Each firm has its own review page accessible from there.
How should I approach trading with a newer prop firm?
Start with smaller account sizes, verify payouts within your first month, monitor public trader feedback closely, and diversify across multiple firms rather than concentrating capital with any single new entrant.
Is Rising Stars a permanent part of PFC?
Yes — Rising Stars is a permanent section that PFC will continue to grow and update as the industry evolves.
Last updated: 7 May 2026. The Rising Stars cohort is reviewed and updated regularly. Always verify a prop firm's current rules and operational status on their official website before purchasing a challenge.
Risk disclaimer: Trading involves substantial risk of loss. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Newer prop firms carry additional operational uncertainty. The information in this article is for educational purposes only and is not investment advice.
